The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to heat exchanger arrangements, and more particularly to a heat exchanger distribution assembly.
Distribution of two-phase fluid flow (liquid and gas) inside heat exchangers poses several challenging issues. In heat exchangers, such as mini-channel, micro-channel, plate-fin, and brazed-plate heat exchangers, for example, distribution is particularly difficult due to the requirement that the flow must be distributed among many layers and small ports. To overcome the challenges, these types of heat exchangers may employ a piccolo distributor having a closed-end tube with a series of holes in the side. The assumption behind this approach is that the flow entering the distributor is annular or well-mixed and remains that way through the distributor tube. However, the cavity within the distributor may not be able to avert separation of the two-phase fluid under different operating conditions. The flow may tend to stratify due to deceleration in the distributor and as a result, liquid pools at the end of the tube while vapor leaves through early ports. Therefore, the mass fraction provided to each fin passage is not properly apportioned and may yield poor system performance.